William James Dickie was a Liberal Party

New Zealand Liberal Party

The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...

 Member of Parliament in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. And opposition Whip.

He won the Selwyn

Selwyn (New Zealand electorate)

Selwyn is the name of three seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives, based around towns on the outskirts of Christchurch city. In an historical sense, the name refers to an electorate that existed between 1866 and 1919...

 electorate in 1911

New Zealand general election, 1911

The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament...

, and again in December 1914 the seat was abolished for the 1919 election, and was defeated in 1919 for Ashburton.
William james Dickie one of six children was born in Cobden Westland 10 April 1869 to William Dickie (who arrived in NZ late 1850s from Menstrie Scotland)and Mary Dent early settlers to Greymouth. Farmed 2550 acres (10.3 km²) with Arthur Ingham Dent from 1902 in Lyndhurst Ashburton.